Xiang Tu

Xiang Tu
Chinese	相土
Literal meaning	(personal name)
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Xiàng Tǔ Wade–Giles Hsiang4 T'u3 Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Seung Tóu
Cheng Du
Chinese	乘杜
Transcriptions Standard Mandarin Hanyu Pinyin Chéng Dù Yue: Cantonese Yale Romanization Sìhng Dou6

Xiang Tu (Chinese: 相土; pinyin: Xiàng Tǔ; ? – ?) was an ancient Chinese noble, an ancestor of the Shang dynasty. His family name is Zi (子), and his other name is Cheng Du (乘杜). His hometown is in Shangqiu (商丘), Henan (河南), and he was the third leader of the Predynastic Shang.

History

He was the son of Zhao Ming of Shang and thus the grandson of Xie of Shang, being also an ancestor of the King Tang of Shang.

In the beginning, people still did not know the horse drawn cart is used for travel. It was said that he raised horses. The horse is tamed and trained, so the horse can pull the car and become one of the important means of transportation.

It can be seen that in the time of Xiang Tu, the Shang people have migrated from the nomadic life to the life of animal husbandry and agricultural cultivation. He developed forces in the east by force, on the coast of the Yellow Sea (黃海) and in the nearby islands.

Family

• Grandfather: Xie (契) – a son of the Emperor Ku of ancient China
  • Father: Zhao Ming (昭明)
    • Son: Chang Ruo (昌若)

Bibliography

• Sima Qian. Records of the Grand Historian (史記). Volume 3.